What vaccines would not be approved in the EU and where are the Member States looking?

51 percent Germans believe that the EU is mishandling the vaccine supply process and 35% share this view. French, 24 percent. Swedish, according to a survey carried out by Kekst CNC, the results of which were published by the Politico portal.

Europeans are also unhappy with their governments. The implementation of the vaccine supply and use process at the national level is positively evaluated by 23%. German, 19 percent. Swedish, 18 percent. French.

Some countries unhappy with the slowness of vaccination have started looking for other solutions.

Austria and Denmark turn to Israel

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has announced that he will work with Denmark and Israel to develop a next-generation vaccine against the coronavirus.

The average vaccination rate in the EU is 7.5%. population, and about 52% have already been vaccinated in Israel. population.

“Austria and Denmark will no longer be dependent on the EU in the future and will produce a new generation of doses of vaccines against the new coronavirus mutations in the coming years, together with Israel, in addition to conducting joint research on treatment options,” He said.

A spokesman for the European Commission denied that EU solidarity was collapsing as dissatisfaction within the bloc mounted.

“Due to our vaccines, we act through the European Medicines Agency (EMA) because we want to guarantee efficacy and safety. What the member states do is also their responsibility, ”said the spokesman.

He added that countries could seek additional vaccines if they did not try to negotiate with the main EU suppliers, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer.

Austrian Chancellor S. Kurz had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week. The Kremlin said that “the possible supply of the Russian vaccine” Sputnik V “to Austria was discussed, as well as the possible production of (vaccines)”.

Kurz said in early February that Austria is open to producing Russian vaccines in the country.

Poland was interested in the Chinese vaccine

Polish President Andrzej Duda and Chinese leader Xi Jinping discussed the possible acquisition of a Chinese vaccine, Duda’s adviser to the PAP told the PAP on Monday.

However, on Wednesday, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said he did not recommend the Sinopharm vaccine from the Chinese company against the coronavirus: a thousand facts.

“At the moment, I do not know any solution, I do not know any data that allows us to use (that vaccine),” said A. Niedzielskis at the press conference.

Hungary, accused of slow vaccination in the EU, became the first member of the Community to introduce a Chinese vaccine. The country’s first shipment of the Sinopharm vaccine was 550,000. doses – already reached in February. Budapest expects to receive another million in March and April. doses and another 3.5 million in May. dose.

Sputnik V arrived in the EU

In mid-February, Hungary became the first EU member to use the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, which was also not approved by the European Medicines Agency.

The first shipment to Hungary amounted to 40 thousand. promises to deliver a total of 2 million doses.

The vaccine has also made its way into other Central European countries. Slovakia registered the Russian “Sputnik V” vaccine on Monday and received its first shipment of 2 million. dose.

“It is correct to buy a Russian vaccine, because COVID-19 knows nothing of politics,” Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic previously said.

It is true that the purchase of vaccines was not without scandals. After Matovich joked on the radio show that he could hand over Ukraine’s transcarpathic region to Russia for the vaccine, Kiev fired: let Slovakia hand over its regions to the Kremlin and apologize to Kiev.

The Czech Republic is also considering purchasing the Sputnik V vaccine. According to the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the COVID-19 morbidity rate over the past 14 days is the highest in the EU: 100 per thousand. the population has 1,120 infections and 186 deaths.

On Sunday, President Milos Zeman announced that he had written a letter to Putin requesting Sputnik V vaccines.

“Information from the Russian embassy suggests that they may arrive in the next few days.

Zeman also said that the Czech Republic would accept the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine and assured that “vaccines have no ideology.”

See the politics

Published by the British scientific journal Lancetthat the Russian vaccine against the Sputnik V coronavirus is safe and effective, there have been discussions in Lithuania about its possible acquisition.

However, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė stated that there were no plans to do so in Lithuania and assured that Russia would use the vaccine as a hybrid weapon. President Gitanas Nausėda also agrees with the prime minister.

Here is Ukraine, whose Crimean peninsula was occupied by Russia, and which is at war with pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country. banned the use of Sputnik V in general.

Estonia and Latvia do not rule out the possibility of buying vaccines from third countries if they are approved by the EEA.

On Thursday, the EEA announced the launch of a “continuous review” of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the first step towards its approval in the EU.

ALSO READ: The European Union does not have a green light on Sputnik V because Russia did not send the request to that address.

In Russia, the Sputnik V vaccine was introduced before the end of the final phase of clinical trials, which calls into question its safety and efficacy.

France and Germany said they were open to all vaccines being approved by the EVA.